Fitting In
Being yourself and talking about difference
Opening up about yourself and others can be difficult. It’s important to be able to do the things you enjoy as well as respecting what others do and want to talk about.
The below animations are set in the fictional Phoenix Academy for super humans, where four super-powered students look at how to stay true to yourself and respect the differences of others.
Being Yourself
Yona, Sanj, Millie and Fin talk about being themselves. Millie spent a lot of time worrying about what everyone else thought of her, but soon realised that spending more time doing the things she liked made her happier.
You can watch their story here:
BBC - Being Yourself
Tips:
- Make time to do the things that make you happy (art, games, sport etc.)
- Music can affect your mood - try making a motivational playlist
- Unplug - take regular breaks from social media
- Be yourself and look after yourself
Talking about difference
The group talk about what makes them different and how it can be tricky to talk about other people's differences. Fin remembers not wanting to talk about what made him different when he first started, but knowing there were people he could talk to made him more comfortable.
Tips:
- Ask about difference in a respectful way and respect their answer even if it's 'no'
- Ask if it's ok to share what they told you before telling anyone else
- If someone asks about your difference, respect their courage, whatever your answer
- You can always share with one person you trust before telling others
Jessi has Autism and was really anxious about fitting in at secondary school, here she talks about her concerns and how she has coped.
